The race is the fourth largest participation sporting event in the UK, with 17,000 competitors expected. Masirah will be racing against 1,753 other boats, including their team-mates, The Wave, Muscat.
© Lloyd Images/ Oman Sail
The race record currently stands at 3hours 8 minutes and 29 seconds which was set in 2001, and although the weather will decide if it will be a record breaking year, Masirah’s new skipper Loick Peyron will be pushing to be first across the line again. “There are four Extreme 40’s entered and of course the aim is to beat them and be at the front of the fleet again! The Round the Island Race is a very different challenge to the short races we normally do in the European Extreme Racing Series. You have more time to enjoy the sailing, but also more time to tweek the boat as really push it to go as fast as it can! You have to think differently and plan differently”.
Joining Peyron will be Omani National Squad member, Nasser Al Mashari, who is taking time out from the sailing the Oman Sail Farr 30 Renaissance. Nasser is preparing to compete in the prestigious Tour de France à la Voile, one of France’s most challenging yacht races starting on 26th June.
It will be an early start for the teams with the start gun firing at 0510am (BST). If it is a record breaking year then the teams will be home for breakfast! The teams progress can be tracked anywhere in the world via GPS tracking transmitted from a mobile phone onboard the boats.
Oman Sail, Masirah: Loick Peyron (FRA)Pete Cumming (GBR)Mark Bulkeley (GBR)David Carr (GBR)Nasser Al Mashari (OMA)
Oman Sail, The Wave, Muscat : Paul Campbell-James (GBR)Nick Hutton (GBR)Alister Richardson (GBR)Khamis Al Anbouri (OMA)
Source : Oman Sail
